WORTH A LOOK?: ***1/2

WHERE?: Livestreaming via Leave A Light On courtesy the Theatre Cafe

WHEN: 10/4/20 (matinee)

‘Absolute chaos’, remembers & Juliet star Tim Mahendran of his time in the recording studio with legendary songwriter Max Martin.

• Read on for reasons including how not even his girlfriend’s DJ malfunction can put Mahendran off his stride

Martin wrote songs for artists including Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, Celine Dion, Pink and Katy Perry some of which feature in the musical Mahendran was starring in at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London’s West End until the lockdown.

This afternoon he joins us live via the internet in front of patio doors looking out over a beautifully manicured lawn

‘In my life I sing a lot of musical theatre songs because of my job and so I thought this would be a good opportunity to do a few other genres, my own music, jazz, country, pop and a few other little gems,’ he explains.

It soon becomes clear from the song choices that this is a little more downbeat than you might expect from an average jazz-handed musical theatre star.

‘Did you think that this was a feel good show? That’s at 4.30pm,’ he jokes. And: ‘I’ve had the opportunity to do a gig but I was worried no-one would come.’

Mahendran plays his own music on guitar. He formed band at drama school with friends and sings country song She Walks On By.

His girlfriend Hannah is off stage but when there is a problem with the backing track she is overseeing Mahendran ribs her gently but doesn’t let it put him off.

He speaks fondly of the & Juliet recording sessions. ‘It was absolute chaos that the man who wrote it was sat behind the windows in the studio saying things to me that he said to the Backstreet Boys.’

He chooses Arun Blair-Mangat duet What Do You Want From Me? from the show. ‘The character I play in & Juliet represents an enormous community. I love playing him.I was always going to sing a song from it.’

• Picture via Facebook courtesy Lambert Jackson Productions. Tickets
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